Is the Houston area getting a second Microsoft store?

On Wednesday at its Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft chief operating office Kevin Turner told an audience that Microsoft currently has 11 of its retail stores around the United States,and plans to open 75 more in the next two to three years.

In the image on the right, the red dot on the Gulf Coast indicates the existing Houston store. The white dots are proposed stores.

Intrigued, I asked a Microsoft spokesperson about the map, and whether it indicated a second Houston-area store. Here’s how she responded:

At the Worldwide Partner Conference today, Kevin Turner shared a slide that appeared to map out specific new store sites, but actually was representative of the types of retail locations Microsoft might consider. We have no specific new store locations to share at this time.

As Kevin noted, we continue to learn from our customers so we can provide them with the best choice, value and service. We will adjust and adapt our strategy to open stores in a number of additional locations over the coming years as it makes sense. We have no additional information to share at this time.

So, the map includes locations Microsoft “might” consider? Given that Turner offered a very specific number in his speech, and the locations on the map seem to be specific as well, I suspect this is more than just a case of the “mights”.

The map seems to show two stores in Austin and one in San Antonio, which is logical given those markets. There are two map points in the Northeast Texas/Dallas-Fort Worth areas, which also makes sense.

The placement of the second Houston-area dot could indicate a Galveston store, or possibly a southwest suburban location, such as Sugar Land.

My suspicion is that, in “two to three years”, those Texas map points will indeed be marked by red dots.